Yesterday is Gone Forever

In Egypt, a young woman is coming of age. A graduate of the American University of Cairo, Mona Fahmy is wealthy, beautiful and intelligent. She is also living in a conservative culture during the tumultuous era of Anwar Sadat. Her parents are progressive, but still adhere to the despised tradition of arranged marriage. In a solitary cell, a political prisoner is praying for guidance from the Prophet Mohammed. A child of poverty and prejudice, Khaled Nour El Din envisions an Egypt cleansed, by blood if necessary, of all foreigners and infidels. What turns a compassionate charismatic leader into a ruthless terrorist? And what would attract a woman from the upper class to join his holy crusade? From the shadows of the pyramids to the back alleys of unrest, this story illuminates Egypt's determination to reconcile its glorious past with an uncertain political future.